This massager was invented out of the need for a very deep penetrating massage. After being diagnosed with a myofilation of the trigger point in his back, the inventor of this invention was told by a doctor to roll around on the floor on a tennis ball for therapy to massage the trigger point knot (myofilation). This simple type of therapy, rolling on a single tennis ball, is a common procedure many types of doctors and therapists recommended to their patients. In this therapy the ball is able to dig in deep to the person's back or neck and by moving his or her hips the ball will roll around the floor in any and every direction, creating a circular massage motion. This effectively kneads the sore or aching spots providing relief from the back or neck pain. Recognizing the benefits from this ball massage therapy also revealed some drawbacks. First a person lying flat on the floor can easily put adverse pressure and strain on one's lower back. Secondly, multiple balls worked better than one, but when lying and rolling around on a number of balls they slide too far apart from one another to remain effective. It is this invention that successfully overcomes the aforementioned drawbacks in one simple-to-use massaging device.
Orthopedic doctors, chiropractors, massage and physical therapists have long recognized the benefits of deep massage therapy, trigger point stimulation, and muscle rehabilitation. These types of therapies are known to be effective in providing relief to people suffering from back and neck pain, pain associated with stress, tension, sports and work related injuries, pain that many women experience during their menstrual cycle. Trigger point stimulation refers to the kneading or rubbing of specific reflex points on the body, points where muscles form knots. Many of these points are located in an individual's back or neck and are key areas to relaxing muscles. Deep massage therapy plays a major roll in massaging trigger points in that to effectively relieve a trigger point one must penetrate deeply into a person's back or neck. Muscle rehabilitation occurs when a muscle is deeply massaged, allowing oxygen to flow to the affected area of pain or soreness drawing out lactic acid, thus providing relief. The key to successful trigger point therapy and active muscle rehabilitation depends on the depth of penetration achieved during massage. The deeper the massage, the greater the relief.
Many devices have been developed throughout the years for the purpose of providing people with the means to massage one another or to even massage oneself. Many of these devices only merely provide a surface, vibrating type of massage. Some such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,188 (Vitko, 1994), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,474 (Agader, 1993) recognized the benefits from using balls in their inventions; however, by design, only a portion of the balls in these devices actually penetrate the user's back, neck or feet. That is, by the design of the frame or supports in these inventions, only the top portions of the balls actually penetrate the user, limiting the depth of massage. A few devices, such as Vitko's and Agader's, do achieve some success in providing a massage, yet in reality many significant flaws and limitations still exist with all known devices.
It is this invention that has successfully accomplished the task of combining a deep penetrating massage with trigger point stimulation and muscle rehabilitation in an inexpensive, easy to use, self-administered massaging board. This invention is effective on men, women, and children. It is inexpensive to manufacture, and thus is affordable to just about anyone who is looking for relief from unpleasant back and neck pain.